Your planting calendar by ZIP code
Type a ZIP and get your real frost dates, how long your growing season is, and when to start, sow and transplant 26 vegetables, all worked out from NOAA weather records near you.
What you get for your ZIP
- Last and first frost dates with the odds, not just one average.
- A planting chart for 26 vegetables and herbs: start indoors, transplant, sow direct, and fall crops.
- Growing season length and your USDA 2023 hardiness zone.
- A garden helper you can ask about your own plot.
Example: Columbus, Ohio (43215)
Average last frost April 20, first frost October 24, a 185-day season. That means peas and spinach in late March, tomatoes out around May 1–15, and garlic in early November.
Ask about your garden
Enter your ZIP above first and answers will use your local frost dates. Written by an AI model; double-check anything important.
When to plant popular vegetables
Each crop page turns the rule of thumb (for example "transplant tomatoes 1 to 3 weeks after the last frost") into dates for your ZIP code, with soil temperatures and the last safe planting day for a harvest before fall frost.
- When to plant tomatoesafter frost
- When to plant peppersafter frost
- When to plant potatoesbefore frost
- When to plant garlicbefore frost
- When to plant onionsbefore frost
- When to plant carrotsbefore frost
- When to plant lettucebefore frost
- When to plant peasbefore frost
- When to plant green beansafter frost
- When to plant cucumbersafter frost
- When to plant pumpkinsafter frost
- When to plant sweet cornafter frost
How a planting calendar works
Almost every vegetable is timed from one of two dates. Spring crops count from the last frost date: hardy crops tolerate a light freeze, so they go in weeks before it, while tender crops like tomatoes and basil are killed by a single 32°F night and wait until after. Fall crops count backwards from the first frost date using the variety's days to maturity.
Seeds you start indoors count back further still: peppers need 8 to 10 weeks under lights before they're ready to go out, lettuce only 4 to 6. The seed starting calculator does that arithmetic for you.
Frost dates are statistics, not promises. Seasonwise shows the 50% date (the classic "average last frost") and the 10% date, after which a frost happens only one spring in ten. Watch the 10-day forecast as planting day gets close.
Average frost dates in major US cities
NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F threshold, nearest station to each city's downtown ZIP. Suburbs and valleys are often colder.
| City | Zone | Last frost | First frost | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 7b | Mar 30 | Nov 20 | 236 days |
| Chicago, IL | 6b | Apr 10 | Nov 5 | 208 days |
| Los Angeles, CA | 10b | None | None | 365 days |
| Houston, TX | 9b | Feb 2 | Dec 25 | 327 days |
| Phoenix, AZ | 10a | Jan 5 | Jan 3 | 365 days |
| Philadelphia, PA | 7b | Mar 30 | Nov 17 | 232 days |
| Dallas, TX | 8b | Mar 2 | Nov 29 | 272 days |
| Atlanta, GA | 8a | Mar 24 | Nov 8 | 231 days |
| Seattle, WA | 9a | Mar 13 | Nov 17 | 247 days |
| Denver, CO | 6a | Apr 30 | Oct 12 | 165 days |
| Boston, MA | 7a | Apr 4 | Nov 9 | 218 days |
| Minneapolis, MN | 5a | Apr 23 | Oct 16 | 175 days |
| Kansas City, MO | 6b | Apr 4 | Nov 2 | 211 days |
| Nashville, TN | 7b | Apr 1 | Oct 31 | 213 days |
| Portland, OR | 9a | Feb 25 | Dec 1 | 280 days |
| Salt Lake City, UT | 7b | Mar 31 | Nov 8 | 224 days |
| Columbus, OH | 6b | Apr 20 | Oct 24 | 185 days |
| Charlotte, NC | 8a | Mar 30 | Nov 3 | 221 days |
| Detroit, MI | 6b | Apr 21 | Oct 31 | 190 days |
| Raleigh, NC | 8a | Mar 28 | Nov 8 | 229 days |
Questions gardeners ask
How do I know when to plant vegetables in my area?
Start from your average last spring frost date. Cool-season crops such as peas, spinach and onions go in 2 to 6 weeks before it; frost-tender crops such as tomatoes, peppers, beans and squash go in 1 to 3 weeks after it, once the soil has warmed. Enter your ZIP code above to see those windows as calendar dates.
Where do these frost dates come from?
From the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, which give freeze probabilities for more than 7,000 weather stations. Seasonwise matches your ZIP code to the nearest station with freeze data.
What does "average last frost" actually mean?
It is the date after which a 32°F night happens in only half of years. That means there is still a 50% chance of a later frost. For frost-tender plants many gardeners wait until the 10% date, which Seasonwise shows as the "safe" date.
Is a planting calendar by ZIP code better than one by hardiness zone?
Yes, for timing. Hardiness zones describe the coldest winter night, not when spring frost ends. Two towns in the same zone can have last frost dates weeks apart, especially near coasts or mountains.
Does Seasonwise work outside the United States?
Not yet in a useful way: the frost data and ZIP matching are U.S.-only, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.